Therapist fills vacancy on school board

Kelly Van Valkenburgh of Quakertown, a mother of 2, is sworn in as a director.

October 25, 2002|By Melanie Gleaves-Hirsch Of The Morning Call

A longtime children's caseworker and child therapist was sworn in Thursday night as the newest member of the Quakertown Community School Board, pledging to bring her problem-solving skills and knowledge of children to the panel.

The mother of two sons, ages 6 and 2, will represent taxpayers in Quakertown, while other directors represent Richland, Haycock and Milford townships, and Trumbauersville and Richlandtown.

Directors voted unanimously to appoint her to complete Regan's term, which expires in December 2003.

"I'm very excited, and I'm looking forward to learning, evaluating information, weighing options, and coming up with solutions," Van Valkenburgh said shortly after Thursday's meeting.

Van Valkenburgh, who sits on the executive board of People Aiding Learning, the parent-teacher organization at Neidig Elementary School, said she will focus on finding a balance between the community's needs and the needs of the schools.

"I have a lot to learn, but maybe I can bring some fresh ideas," she said.

During several minutes of questioning by directors before the meeting, Van Valkenburgh identified academic excellence, responsibility to the community, and finding a "fair and balanced approach to both" as the top three responsibilities of school board members.

Asked what she would do if she disagreed with a majority decision of the board, she responded, "I have a pretty strong moral compass and I would voice my opposition" after researching the matter.

She also said her experience as a caseworker prepared her to weigh complex or contradictory information, and to change her mind if the evidence supported a new stance.

Van Valkenburgh, who was the only borough resident who applied for the board vacancy, is director of volunteer services for the Women's Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Bensalem. The group shelters stray and unwanted animals, runs programs on spaying, neutering and animal adoptions, and performs cruelty investigations.

For more than a decade she was a caseworker in the Bucks County Children and Youth Services Agency in Doylestown. She also has been an outpatient therapist, providing individual therapy to children and young people.

In other business, the school board borrowed $23.7 million from the Delaware Valley Regional Finance Authority to help pay for the district's $35 million middle school.

The loan also will finance an addition to Quakertown Community High School and improvements to the parking area at Richland Elementary School.

The money borrowed is in addition to $12.5 million the district borrowed two years ago for the middle school, high school and Richland Elementary projects, Business Administrator Sylvia Lenz said.

"This will complete the financing we need for the new middle school and will also complete the financing" for the other projects, Lenz said.

The district will borrow the $23 million over 20 years at a variable interest rate that is far lower than rates for conventional loans, Lenz said. The rate on the district's variable rate loan is 1.3 percent.

By contrast, the prime interest rate is 4.75 percent.

The Delaware Valley Regional Finance Authority was created years ago to lend money to municipalities and school districts, Lenz said.